


Blind Loyalty and the Never-ending Cycle

by MagiaSymphony



Series: Story of Repetition [4]
Category: Dance with Devils (Anime), SINoALICE (Video Game)
Genre: Anime Spoilers, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen, Perspective Flip, Story of Repetition spoilers, also obligatory Drakengard references, and a bit of foul-mouths, if I'm going to suffer through this mobage y'all are going down with me too, ratings there for violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-25 19:30:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18267905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagiaSymphony/pseuds/MagiaSymphony
Summary: After falling from the ledge of the castle belonging to the Vampire Monarchy, Jek finds himself in the curious world of Library. As he makes his own way in the Library, he discovers something about him that he's better off unaware of, and eventually have encounters with repetitive fates.





	Blind Loyalty and the Never-ending Cycle

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who is still scarred for life after Alice's Reality Arc routes? This person here.
> 
> A while ago, Lina on Discord asked me, "What happened to Jek in this AU?" So to satisfy her neverending curiosity, I made this fic containing Jek's adventures in the Library during the Hatred Arc.
> 
> Because this fic takes place during the Hatred Arc, spoilers for Chapters 6 - 9 of _Story of Repetition_ abound. As such, **DO NOT PROCEED UNTIL YOU'VE FINISHED HATRED ARC OF THE MAIN STORY!**
> 
> Key:  
>  _italics_ \- Gishin  
>  **bold, right aligned** \- Anki  
>  **bold** and _italics_ \- Nightmares from the POV of the main character  
>  **bold** , _italics_ and underline \- Gishin and Anki in unison
> 
> And with that, enjoy the chapter!

_Why, hello there!_

**Good to see you again!**

_Today we’ve just come across quite a story for you._

**Remember how Marius killed a former vampire in the castle back then?**

_We’ve managed to recover his side of the story just for you!_

**Now then, enjoy this twisted tale that we’ve managed to salvage!**

_Tee hee hee!_

**Hee hee hee!**

_Well then, what are you waiting for?_

**Get a move on! We don't have time to waste!**

_Now then,_

**Without further ado,**

 

**_Do enjoy the show!_**

* * *

 

####  ** Doubt and Certainty **

I woke up to the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind, not a single living thing in sight. I don't recall being here - only that I was at the castle with Lord Nesta and the other vampires, fighting those despicable devils and that traitor Lindo, who turned against us despite his vampire origins. This place was oddly peaceful compared to the events at the castle, but I was terribly alone. But just as I thought about being the only one here, two puppets flew to me from nowhere. They introduced themselves as Gishin - Doubt - and Anki - Certainty. Those puppets tell me that if I venture far enough, I might be able to return home. Ah, to resume my place next to Lord Nesta, what a grand task ahead! With that, I set forth on my mission to return home.

* * *

 

####  ** Danger Most Foul **

It seems I have taken a wrong turn - the moment I set foot into that cave, a horde of monsters came after me. What are those? I've never seen such foul creatures before! And to make things worse, my powers don't work here! How am I going to fight back? Lord Nesta, if only you were here. You would tell me what to do, right? For now, my only choice is to flee. But how far does this path go? I can't see any crossroads in sight! This isn't looking good at all... ... someone, help me! Please!

* * *

 

####  ** Unexpected Help **

This path is too long! Sooner or later, those creatures will catch up with me. And then what? Does my life end here in this desolate place? Lord Nesta, save me... ... ANYTHING! Oh? They've stopped attacking... ... who are you guys? My rescuers introduce themselves as people just like me - vampires. It seems that they want to help me out. Well, I do need to know what's going on. Eventually, I'll end up disposing them the moment I get back home. For now, I'll work with them.

* * *

 

####  ** Nightmare in the Mirror **

I don't quite trust my new companions. They say that they are vampires. But how are they vampires? Vampires have beautiful long talons, are beautiful and radiant as the moon, eyes as red as rubies, and pledge allegiance to Lord Nesta, Ruler of Chaos and Darkness. Instead, half of their face is disfigured, they have long claws, they have bat wings protruding from their backs, and worst of all they have never even heard of Lord Nesta! What vampire coven has never heard of the great Lord Nesta? They tell me that they've been here all their lives. And it's been so long since they've found another one of their kind. What? What do you mean another one of their kind? I'm a different vampire from them. "Haven't you looked in the mirror lately?" they say. To prove that I'm a different type of vampire from them, I decided to take a look at myself in the nearby lake. To my utmost shock, I too have the same features as them. I had no idea when that happened, but I realised now.

I am one of them now. I am no longer a vampire of Lord Nesta. I have become a monster. They call monsters like them - no, us - a Nightmare.

* * *

 

####  ** Uncertain Friendship and Loyalty **

How did this happen? Why did this happen? What have I done for this change to happen within me? How can I face Lord Nesta now, looking like this? I look hideous. I am no longer the proud vampire who serves Lord Nesta. As I despaired over what Lord Nesta would think of me, one of my new companions comes up and places its -or is it his?- hand on me. "We will help you out no matter what," he -or it?- says to me. "The world of Library is a cruel place. You will need us." I didn't understand the full extent of my situation until now - this may not even be the end of my troubles. Hanging my head in shame, I took my companion's hand and agreed to stay by them for as long as I wanted. As soon as they heard my declaration, they cheered with delight.

* * *

 

####  ** Exile from the Living **

We move on in the world we call Library. Somehow, it conforms itself into familiar environments. According to one of my new companions, this part of Library wasn't like this until recently, but it happened slightly after I came here. They suspect that someone from my world has crossed over and Library responded to that, but until we meet him for ourselves, we can't be too sure. They ask me about my origins, and where I come from. It's been a while since I talked about my human self, but I was proud of my servitude under Lord Nesta. They ask me what I plan to do when I get back. I told them that I will first ask Lord Nesta to restore my original form, and then continue to serve under him. Perhaps he can do the same to everyone else here?

As if on cue, the puppets drop down right in front of us. "About that matter..." the girl said. "I don't think it's possible for you to be turned back to normal," the boy continues. I was shocked. Is it that Library's powers are better than his? "We lied to you, we certainly did." the girl cheers. "We convinced you to kill, and like a fool you took the bait," the boy continues. Lied? What do you mean lying? I demanded. By right, lying was the very nature of a Devil. "You died!" they cheer. "Since a long time ago! Your desires led you here. They shall give birth to bloodlust. You can never return to your world, because of Lindo Tachibana!" I fell to my knees. Oh, that's right. The last thing I remembered before coming here was that that damned dhamphir casting a spell on me, and I fell. In other words, I am no longer alive... ...

* * *

 

####  ** A New Life **

_**The newcomer, having heard what the puppets had to say, went into a catatonic state. He wasn't taking all that happened very well, I suppose. Well, all of us once had human lives and ended up here because we didn't have very good deaths. But eventually we all forget why we were here. The only thing we did was to fight for our survival against the Characters, nothing much. We were lucky we didn't end up turning into mindless beasts - now those were the pitiful ones. I offered to carry the newcomer while we searched for somewhere we can last longer in. Even if those puppets love to manipulate us so that more bloodshed would happen, sometimes what they told us was in fact, correct.** _

~

When I awoke, I found myself being carried by one of my new friends. I didn't know how long I passed out for. Time in this place is very hard to tell. As we went further in, I discovered more places from my former home that were transplanted in here. I wonder if the Character influencing this environment was the girl with the Forbidden Grimoire. She seemed most likely. Eventually we reached a familiar lake with a familiar castle overlooking it. I recognised it as the castle where I stayed in life, but it was in ruins now, mostly. "Look, over there," I pointed out. "Let's stay there for now." Taking up on this idea, our coven of Nightmares decided to head for the former castle of Lord Nesta. At least I can still find him in this desolate place.

* * *

 

####  ** Shortened Happiness and Prolonged Fear **

Lord Nesta's castle was just as I remembered it. Sure, it was messier than what I still recall of it, but at least I'm able to tell which room was which and what happened there. For now, this will be our new home, away from most predators and near somewhere where we can gather supplies to live. As long as we have each other and the means to live, we'll definitely be fine. However, on the 3rd day, the puppets came to visit. They told us, more specifically me, that we need stories to survive - without devouring stories, we weren't expected to last long. After all, we are Nightmares, supposedly the villains in this fairy tale world. And even if we manage by ourselves, there will come a time where a Character will just waltz in and make minced meat out of all of us. They have a wish at stake, and it is for this wish that drives them to kill. Aah, to heck with that! I've been brought here for a reason, and I'm going to make sure I'm going to make the most of it, never mind what they say!

* * *

 

####  ** Settlement of the Vampires **

Surprisingly, we managed to scrape by for a few weeks on what we have. In order to get stories as what the puppets told us, we hunted down other Nightmares and tried to create our own. Every night, we'd create a campfire and try to come up with interesting stories of our own. At first, I had no idea how we fed on stories, since they are intangible things. But as we came up with various tales, we found our bellies getting fuller and satisfied. There were happy stories, there were sad stories. Some made us laugh until we couldn't get up, others made us cry until we forgot that we had limited water reserves. Even so, for the first time, I felt truly happy. Perhaps this wasn't so bad after all.

However, what we didn't know was that somewhere, the puppets were planning a deadly finale for us all. At the same time, a Character in white was lurking nearby, waiting for the opportunity to put an end to everything.

* * *

 

####  ** Ceremony of Massacre **

"Intruders! Intruders!" I woke up one day to the frantic sounds of my friends screaming like there was no tomorrow. I thought that it was a hoax, until I saw some savage wolves dash into the castle hall, tearing everything they could get their claws on. How did they get in here? We made sure that nothing could enter the castle doors! Then my eye caught the sight of the two puppets giggling amongst themselves. "It was you, wasn't it?!" I roared at them. Their continued laughter only seemed to confirm that the wolf invasion was their planning. Enraged, I cut off their heads. I'll clean it up later.

Rushing towards the battlefield, I attempted to help my friends when five of them grabbed my hand and started running. "You're the most important person!" one of them shouted. " _ **If anyone among us deserves to be alive, it's you!**_ " " _ **Even if they say it's impossible, I'm sure you'll get to meet your most important person again!**_ " I wanted to repay their kindness by assisting them in battle. What have I done to deserve all this? Before I knew what was happening, one of them grabbed me by the wrist and started running. As we ran, I could hear the wolves howling, the death cries of my friends, and one, unfamiliar, maniac laughter.

~

Are all of you going to be alright? You need to rest!

_**We never had someone very important to protect before.** _

_**Out of all of us, you have the highest stakes for survival.** _

_**All of us have since forgotten our original lives.** _

_**If we could do one decent thing in our horrible existences, it would be for you.** _

_**Thank you, for being a leader and friend.** _

!!!!

~

As the last voiced chimed his gratitude for me within the altar, their heads were shot. One by one, they fell to the ground, bleeding profusely. I never knew I would see such a horrific sight. I turned around to see the puppets again. Turns out they were still alive.... I was about to strangle them again when they disappeared, giggling among themselves.

I hear a sound, I hear a sound.

I hear a song, I hear a song.

And then I came face to face with the Experiment of former Devil King Maksis. Before I knew it, I was fighting for my life in the very same altar where that final battle took place… … Me, trying my best to survive the whole ordeal and defy fate. Him, with an insane grin on his face, willing to commit murder. I have no idea why he’s here, but this cannot be good!

~

_**You... ... you're that twisted experiment of Maksis, aren't you?!** _

Correct, and also incorrect. Marius the Storyteller, that is what I go by. But you can also call me a Character. The Character of Repetition, in fact.

And I am here to ensure your swift death.

_**Wait... wait... my death? No, don't kill me, please! I'll do anything you say! Don't kill me! I want to live... I want to live!!!!! SOMEONE SAVE ME!!!! LORD NESTA!!!!!!** _

Too bad! I am Fate itself - I will be the one to make the rules here!! Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!

_What a horrible sight. But a spectacular one, at that!_

**What a frightening sight. But a delightful one, at that!**

~

An iron blade struck. My left arm falls off.

The pressure of a morning star. My legs were crushed to uselessness.

The book in his hands lowers my guard.

My stomach bleeds as his arrow pierces me.

 

I find myself unable to move. Is this it? Is this how my third life ends? It was all too soon. Once again, I face death at the hands of a relative to that girl - how that snowy-haired boy had any connections to her, I had no clue. But as soon as I was struck the fifth time, I discovered - part of him was a fragment of that girl's soul. So... it has come to this? Before I could plead for further mercy, Marius took his scythe and decapitated me. So.... this is what death actually feels like? It's so dark. And cold. And... lonely. The last thing I heard was that bastard talking to himself about how we came to be, and later thanking me for my contribution to his story. Or so I thought. I'm sorry, Lord Nesta. I guess I'm unable to see you once more...

 

Within the now empty and bloodied castle altar, a white-haired storyteller howls with deranged laughter.

Somewhere, from afar, the amused puppets observe him and his descent into murder-induced insanity.

* * *

 

####  ** Death by Repetition **

_And that’s all they wrote!_

**Pitiful, isn’t he? Horrible, isn’t it?**

_Well, his name isn’t ‘Servant of Blind Worship, Jek’ for nothing!_

**He was so foolish, letting himself be led blind and leading blindly.**

_If only he saw the people around him for more than they are on the surface…_

**Perhaps he would have lived slightly longer!**

_Kishishishi!_

**Ahahaha!**

_Well then, enough of that. Don’t you have somewhere to be?_

**Oh yes! You have to be somewhere now!**

_Just follow that yellow brick road over there!_

**At the end, everyone else is waiting for you!**

_Well then, good luck in your next bloodbath!_

**We can’t wait to see what you’ll be capable of next!**

_Ahahahaha!_

**Ahahahaha!**

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah... ... I'm really, _really_ sorry about that. Marius isn't though. But there are worse things waiting for him so I can't blame him. -heh- Since this happens quite a number of times, Jek is eventually severed from the Cycle of Life and Death, being resurrected with Library's powers only to relive this death at the hands of Marius again. And the more he gets brought back as a Nightmare, the worse his memory and senses become. Eventually, he'll lose every sense of self and become a mindless monster.
> 
> To date, this is the most violent fic I've wrote. I'm still in a bit of a shock over this, but if people like it then I guess I don't mind that this fic becomes infamous.
> 
> See you next Reality chapter! We'll resume when I complete Kaguya's route.


End file.
